What is the history of Mumbai ?

He offered them a staggering one million pounds at the time, but was turned down. The Asiatic Society has also preserved many other treasures, including rare manuscripts, first-editions, rare coins and maps.

Real estate prices in Mumbai are exorbitant, but this doesn’t just apply to upscale neighborhoods in South Mumbai or suburbs like Bandra, Juhu, and Andheri.

Most migrants to the city may be fooled into thinking they can find cheap accommodation if they are looking for the most basic shelter, considering that Mumbai is home to Asia’s largest slum.

Anyone with such notions, however, will be in for a rude shock. In addition to being Asia’s largest slum, Dharavi is probably also its most expensive one, considering that you would need to shell out Rs. 3 lakhs to build a house here.

Mumbaiites are very proud of their cosmopolitan culture and their embrace of religious diversity. This is one of Mumbai’s proud traditions, with temples, mosques, gurudwaras, and churches to be found in almost every corner of the city.

In the older areas you will also find fire temples and synagogues. What most of the city’s inhabitants do not realize is that Mumbai is also home to Chinese and Japanese temples that date back to the colonial era.

At the time, Mumbai was an international trade hub, attracting merchants from across the world. Many lived and worshipped in the city.

In the Mazgaon area, you will find Kwan Tai Shek, a Chinese temple, while at Worli Naka, you will find Nipponzan Myohoji, a Japanese Buddhist Temple.

Everyone residing within the city knows of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, but most do not realize that it is the largest unbroken forest or national park within a city’s limits

Most people are also unaware of the fact that this sprawling park isn’t just home to leopards, deer, and monkeys. The national park is a rich bio-diverse forest with various species of plants, animals, and birds.

Some of the animals that you can see in the park include the Indian hare, porcupine, grey langur, Indian flying-fox, striped hyena, tigers, and lions, among others.

There is also an abundance of reptiles, with the likes of crocodiles, monitor lizards, pythons, cobras, vipers, and many other species of snakes. The park is also home to 172 species of butterfly and variety of local and migratory birds, including the likes of jungle owlets, golden orioles, magpies, robins, hornbills, woodpeckers, kingfishers, swifts, and herons

Mumbai got its name from a popular goddess temple- Mumba Devi Mandir, which is situated at Bori Bunde in Mumbai.

Bombay, now known as Mumbai, is home to around 10 million people. It is a thriving cosmopolitan, multi-cultural city, and is the centre of India's entertainment industry.

Having bicycles, Thelas (a kind of rickshaw often use to shift goods in India) as their conveyance, the Dabbawallas carry-out and drop food from their client’s kitchen/home in a lunch box to the customer’s workplace efficiently.

Mumbai has been growing for five hundred years, even though it was built on what initially looked like very weak foundations.

They have been doing it since 1890 every day at a very steady rate. Around 200,000 Dabbas (tiffins) are delivered daily by 5,000 Dabbawalas!

At first there were just seven islands separated by swamps: the land was dangerous and unhealthy. A thousand years ago the islands were part of the Magadhan empire.

Interestingly, no Dabbawala is an employee; he is the owner! Every Dabbawala has got an equal share.

In 1534, the Portuguese captured the islands and established a trading centre (or 'factory') there. The Portuguese called the place Bom Bahia, meaning 'the good bay', which the English pronounced Bombay.

Their business model is studied by MBA students under case studies to take some ideas how they work so efficiently.

This trading place slowly grew, with local people trading products such as silk, muslin, chintz, onyx, rice, cotton and tobacco.

On 16 April 1853, Bombay (now Mumbai) witnessed first train movement in India. With 14 carriages & 400 passengers left Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal) for Thane in Maharashtra.

By 1626, there was a great warehouse, a friary, a fort and a ship building yard. There were also new houses for the general population, and mansions for the wealthy.

Bombay (now Mumbai) also witnessed India’s 1st rail bridge.